Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q (SCNB) is fired up to announce their latest new media initiative, just in time for the peak of March Madness, as all three Triangle-area ACC basketball teams look back on the first two rounds of the 2013 ACC Tournament this past weekend.

Serving as sponsors for the “ACC Sports Journal” podcast as well as the bi-weekly, fifteen minute “The Footprint” podcast, SCNB aims to reconnect with the same local collegiate sports fans who made the fall “Real Tailgate” podcast an online success.

Recent episodes of the ACC Sports Journal podcast have included topics like All-ACC, TOB, halftime shows, a farewell to rivalries, and more. Hosts Hayes Permar and Jim Young talk about men’s hoops, with random humorous commentary and eclectic music selections thrown in just for fun.

The Footprint podcast is hosted by 99.9 The Fan on-air sports radio talent Joe Ovies (described on his Twitter profile as a “provider of Triangle sports radio snark”) alongside college sports buff and editor Derek Medlin. The fifteen minute program is billed as an “audio stroll through headlines in the ACC with a focus on Duke, North Carolina, and NC State” and so far has covered the most relevant of topics for Tobacco Road basketball junkies: teams’ tournament hopes and a preview of first round opening games.

As the Triangle’s presence in the NCAA basketball tournament dance slows, with the lone presence of Duke in the Sweet Sixteen this year, Triangle ACC fans will begin to turn their sights to baseball. Last season, NC State made a NCAA Super Regional run, losing to Florida 9-8 after 10 innings, in the Gainesville Super Regional. Hot on the heels of baseball season, the talk will turn to pigskin previews, as all three Triangle-area football programs continue to evolve: NCSU welcomes new coach Dave Doeren, UNC’s Larry Fedora aims for post-season championships, and Duke’s David Cutcliff extends his commitment to staying in Durham.

The weekly ACC Sports Journal podcast is available for free online.

The bi-weekly The Footprint podcast is available for free online as well.

“Last fall, we recognized a tremendous amount of support for our sponsorship of the ‘Real Tailgate’ podcast which we produced with TheMesh.tv and it gave us a taste of just how loyal our BBQ faithfuls are to following the latest headlines and discussion of their favorite local teams”, explains Richard Averitte, marketing director of Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q. “We know that excitement escalates to a fever pitch come basketball season in North Carolina, so we set out to expand our sponsorships of that same kind of content with Capitol Broadcasting Company and Curtis Media’s sports properties, as well. It made perfect sense for us - BBQ and basketball are two things North Carolina is known for being great at”, he adds.